University of California, Irvine School of Law Ranks No. 30 in First U.S. News Ranking
UCI Law Clinical Program Ranks No. 11
IRVINE, Calif., March 9, 2015 — The University of California, Irvine School of Law has been
ranked by U.S. News & World Report No. 30 out of 198 fully accredited law
schools in the country. This is the highest debut ranking of any new law school
in the history of the U.S. News rankings. Additionally, UCI Law’s Clinical
Program ranked No. 11, and UCI Law scored among the top 10 in student diversity,
according to the U.S. News Diversity Index.
“I am very proud of UCI Law’s accomplishments in building a top law school in only six years,” said Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “We have so much to be proud of thanks to the hard work of faculty, administrators, students, alumni and supporters, both on campus and in the legal community. We are so grateful for the generosity and support we have received in building the University of California, Irvine School of Law.”
When it opened in 2009 as the first new public law school in California in nearly 50 years, UCI Law had a blank slate to create an innovative curriculum, including:
- Every student is required to participate in a legal clinic representing clients with faculty supervision.
- The first-year curriculum emphasizes methods of analysis.
- Upper-level courses incorporate skills training in traditional academic study.
- New courses were created that don’t exist at other law schools.
In another study, the University of California, Irvine School of Law’s faculty ranked 7th in the country for scholarly impact, behind Yale, Harvard, Chicago, Stanford, Columbia and NYU.
The Law School is rooted in a commitment to public service, which manifests itself in the high numbers of students participating in extra-curricular pro bono projects every year. Ninety percent of University of California, Irvine School of Law students provide pro bono legal services to the underserved in the community. Since 2009, UCI Law students have completed more than 33,400 hours of pro bono work.
Post-graduation professional opportunities for UCI Law students are outstanding and include federal judicial clerkships, large law firm employment and public interest legal positions nationally. The Law School ranked No. 3, behind Yale and Stanford, in a recent study of student placement in prestigious federal judicial clerkships. UCI Law also ranked No. 13 in a national review of “Elite Employment Outcomes” based on federal clerkships and employment in large law firms.
Dean Erwin Chemerinsky continued: “I expect that we will rise significantly in U.S. News rankings in the years ahead. For example, at least 84 percent of the UCI Law class of 2014 will be employed in full-time long-term jobs that require or take advantage of a J.D. It is also important to remember that the U.S. News ranking does not begin to capture the very special community we have created with terrific teaching, outstanding students and a real commitment to public service.”
About UC Irvine School of Law
UCI Law is a visionary law school focused on training talented and passionate
lawyers and driven by professional excellence, intellectual rigor, and a commitment
to enrich our communities through public service. UCI Law is a collegial
environment, and our faculty comprises accomplished, nationally ranked thought leaders
from around the country with a broad range of expertise. More about the Law
School is available at law.uci.edu.
Press Contact: Colleen Taricani, University of California, Irvine School of Law Communications, ctaricani@law.uci.edu, (949) 824-3063.